Disorders in memory and learning in offspring of alcoholized female rats, and a possibility for correction of these changes

Abstract

We studied the effect of alcohol intoxication of albino female rats on the process of learning and memory of their adult (two-month-old) offspring and also a possibility for correction of the observed changes using dolivin. During pregnancy and lactation, female rat of the experimental group obtained 15% solution of ethanol instead of water. To estimate the successfulness of spatial learning of their offspring, we used a multiway elevated labyrinth; the level of consolidation of memory traces was estimated using a passive avoidance test in a chamber with dark and illuminated sections. In the tested offspring rats, prenatal exposure to ethanol induced dramatic drops in the indices of both the above tests. The use of dolivin simultaneously with ethanol exposure allowed us to demonstrate the clear protective properties of this complex preparation containing such antioxidants as hypoxen and vitamin E: disorders in behavior of the offspring of alcoholized females were smoothed significantly.